While Dubai's Burj Khalifa currently holds the record for the tallest building in the world, it seems as though that title is about to be passed on to a new building.
A new project in Saudi Arabia, called the Jeddah Tower or Kingdom Tower, is in planning, with the Saudi government having announced that $2.2 billion in funding had been secured for the building of the 3,280-foot tower as well as other buildings around it, collectively known as Jeddah City.
The tower itself was designed by architectural firm Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, and construction up to the 26th floor has already been finished. Of course, there's still a lot to be done, with the final building set to have 200 floors that will house offices, apartments and even a Four Seasons hotel. It will require a massive 5.7 million square feet of concrete and 80,000 tons of steel, according to reports.
The building also overlooks the Red Sea, posing an interesting challenge for engineers considering the high level of nearby saltwater and high winds. In fact, because of this, the building has a massive 200-foot deep foundation. Because of the wind, the building has to be designed to change shape regularly, so every few floors, it will change shape.
"Because it changes shape every few floors, the wind loads go round the building and won't be as extreme as on a really solid block," said Gordon Gill from Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture in an interview with Construction Weekly.
The Kingdom Tower may not hold its title as the world's tallest building for long. Planning for an even taller building in the Iraqi Basra Province is already underway and will eventually soar a massive 3,780 feet in the air.
Check out the video below for a better look at the future tallest building in the world, the Jeddah Tower.
Via: CNN
